Clean Slate

ARTICLES ABOUT CLEAN SLATE BY DATE - PAGE 5

Here's a little-known fact for Chicago history buffs. Chicago was the birthplace of National Clean Out Your Files Day. The April 22 event, first held in Chicago in 1995, has become a part of Earth Week, which starts Saturday. Now, 95 cities observe Clean Out Your Files Day, on which offices around the country are supposed to clean out their files and recycle whatever they can. In 1995, 3,500 employees at the Sears Tower tossed 27 tons of paper, said Ted Fischer, of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which is sponsoring the event.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday pardoned four Chicago men of crimes ranging from rape to murder, calling their wrongful convictions "tragic." The four--Michael Evans, Paul Terry, Dana Holland and LaFonso Rollins--had each spent between 10 and 27 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. All were exonerated after DNA testing. Evans and Terry were both 17 when they were convicted of the 1976 abduction, rape and murder of 9-year-old Lisa Cabassa on the South Side. Both had been sentenced to serve 200 to 400 years in prison.

Only one hurdle, Saturday's game against Indiana State, stands between Southern Illinois taking a No. 1 national ranking and a 7-0 Gateway Conference record into the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. The Salukis, whose only loss was 23-22 at Division I Northern Illinois, improved to 9-1 overall when quarterback Joel Sambursky took advantage of a defense stacked to stop the running game and beat Illinois State 41-14 Saturday in Normal. Sambursky completed 14 of 20 passes for 256 yards.

With eight straight titles under its belt--including two in a row--15th-ranked Providence came into second-round playoff action as a known factor. But for No. 8 Oak Forest, which entered its Class 6A playoff game with the Celtics on Friday night engaged in a perfect season, this was a chance to prove to the naysayers it can play with the state's elite. An overflow crowd in Oak Forest, however, witnessed Celtics senior fullback Jeremiah Jobe completely dissect their team's highly regarded defense, bulldozing the visitors to a surprising 49-7 thrashing.

Q. My wife keeps telling me she is tired of our plain concrete porch and the attached stoop. I would like to surprise her with a distinctive yet affordable surface. The biggest problem I face is thickness. The new surface can't be any higher than 1/2-inch above the current concrete surface. A neighbor suggested slate. Do you think that would work? Is it durable? How hard is it to install? A. If only the rest of us husbands could be as lucky as you! You have stumbled across an idea that will make your wife the happiest woman in the neighborhood.

It's too soon to say Kyle Farnsworth has wiped the 2002 season out of his mind, but the early returns show promising. Cubs management opted for a tough-love approach with the enigmatic right-hander in the off-season, hoping to trigger a change in attitude. In his first three outings this spring, Farnsworth has shown glimpses of the form that made him one of the league's most feared relievers in 2001. "I feel better now than I have in a while," Farnsworth said. "Last year I think I put a little bit of pressure on myself and I didn't do real well.

State highway planners say they will try to convince skeptics this week that they are not predisposed to building a far western beltway linking Interstate Highways 88 and 80 before they identify the transportation needs of the area. The state's five-year, $18 million study--aimed at evaluating those needs in parts of Kane, Kendall, Will, Grundy, DeKalb and LaSalle Counties--is set to begin with two public information meetings this week, in Sugar Grove and Minooka. The first part of the planning effort includes land-use and travel-demand forecasting and a report identifying the area's transportation needs, according to Rick Powell, a project engineer with the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Nathan F. started a new school this year and decided to take a risk. "I'm a big fan of football, but I'd never played before," says Nathan, 14, of Potomac, Md. "I tried out for football not knowing what to expect." Now a quarterback, Nathan is glad he saw switching schools as an opportunity for a fresh start. "Football was great and I plan on doing it again next year," he says. Do you wish you could try something new like Nathan did? Do you want a clean slate when it comes to school or your family?

For the second time in two months, a drive-by shooting death brought out a show of force in the Little Village and Lawndale neighborhoods, as about 250 police officers and five city departments saturated the area Sunday. The crackdown began Friday, three days after Marilu Socha, 15, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in the 3000 block of South Kolin Avenue. "The residents of this community are very appreciative of your efforts," Marquette District Police Cmdr. Dennis V. Prieto told about 100 of those officers Sunday during roll call in a school parking lot at 31st Street and Hamlin Avenue, not far from where Socha was killed.

By Edited by Michael Kellams (mkellams@tribune.com) | November 25, 2002

Auburn found the way to rescue a faltering season: Win the Iron Bowl. The Tigers upset the Crimson Tide 17-7. "This game is what it all boils down to at the end of the season," linebacker Dontarrious Thomas said. Auburn (8-4, 5-3 SEC) had hopes of representing the West in the SEC championship game. Those hopes ended when LSU and Arkansas both won Saturday. Auburn now awaits its bowl destination.